I’m definitely having one of those weeks – you? When the to-do list is so long and overwhelming, it’s really easy to want to just plop in a chair and zone out like a zombie in front of a movie. It’s not unusual for that to happen after we travel. Being a small business owner has tons of advantages, but when it come to travel, I don’t have any backup in the office. At least not right now.
So, I thought I’d share my top five things that I use to motivate me when I totally feel like hiding under the covers:
1.) Set up a system of small rewards – Accomplish this task on the list, reward yourself with something you love that you’ve set off limits during the busy time. It could be catching up on an episode of your favorite tv show, spending some time on pinterest, or even thirty minutes to read that novel you’ve been wanting to start.
2.) Take power naps off the taboo list – If you’re a busy business owner who has the advantage of working from home like me, give yourself permission to crash every once in a while. This past week I’ve been fighting a head cold, nothing horrible, just the typical blah. One of the days, at 3pm in the afternoon, after I finished lessons for our boys, I set my timer on my phone for 15 minutes and let myself power nap. Guess what? Even though I groaned when the alarm went off, I was able to finish the day strong, late into the night, and accomplish what needed to be done.
3.) Set and keep boundaries – I have a short list of things that I try not to let go of. The list is different for everyone, but we all have a “happy list” – that list of things we need to keep in our lives to stay happy. Have you made one of those? (Things like regular exercise, reading, time with family, and date nights all make my list.) I hope you have. When I start abandoning the things on my list, I start to feel sad, and kind of empty. I end up losing all motivation to do anything.
4.) Carve out time to work on new things that excite me. By taking time for those things, I remember the reason I started my business in the first place – to be able to do something I love and make a living, too! I always love what I do, but when I’m able to make new things, I love it even more. On the flip side, it’s easy to get in a rut if I’m not switching things up when I need to.
5.) Take that 15-30 minutes every day to shower/throw some makeup on/do my hair – I adhere to this pretty religiously. Not just because I may randomly have a package delivered, but because feeling put together helps me function better. I’m not one of those people that can be very productive at home in my pj’s. I’ve actually had some people express surprise at the idea that I “dress up” daily for work, but I think somewhere in the recesses of my mind I still think about dressing for my dream job. And even though I’m working from home, “dream job” means being professional.
Have an amazing weekend! And be sure to comment with the things you feel motivate you!
Chrissy says
I needed this read today. While my to-do list is not craft related, it is work related. Thank you for sharing what keeps you keepin’ on.
leah says
Awesome! I always love hearing when I can be encouraging! And you might be surprised – a LOT of my tasks are more “business” than “crafting! ^_^